The Hunter
by Fallon Ash
Summary: There are reasons people behave the way they do. Sometimes those reasons are obvious. Sometimes, they are not, and it takes time to figure them out. (X/G)


Author's note: Be cautioned, this is a work in progress. I'm working on finishing it, but there's a lot of things I'm working on… I should say that the only relation between the title and the story is that I got inspired to write it when listening to "The Hunter" by Dido, and the name remained. The story is not a songfic, nor is it similar in context to the song, but I liked the name, and in a way, I feel that it does fit. Enjoy! (and please review!)  
  
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The Hunter  
  
By: Fallon Ash  
  
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Except for the amber glow from the slow-dying fire, the darkness that surrounded them was impenetrable. The sky was cloudy, so no stars could be seen. Soft night noises could be heard from the forest and all the animals that preferred the night as the time to be awake and hunting. But the night animals were not the only ones awake. A pair of green eyes was gazing across the remnants of a fire at the sleeping form curled up on the other side. If it had been just a little lighter, the immense worry in those eyes would have been clearly seen, but as it was, the only sign of the young woman's distress was the heavy breathing, nearly bordering on sobs. Xena never slept on the other side of the fire. Actually, the more Gabrielle thought about it, she was sure that Xena had never slept on the other side of the fire since that night when they made love for the first time. They had been separated for days; sure, but when they were together Xena always, always, slept next to Gabrielle. And now the sleeping body of her beloved was, for reasons unbeknown to Gabrielle, not next to her as it was supposed to be.  
  
Gabrielle thought back to the evening before. It had been pretty casual, Gabrielle had started the fire and laid out the sleeping rolls, Xena had caught two rabbits and Gabrielle had made the stew while Xena polished her armor and sharpened her sword. They had eaten in silence, not very common, but it happened every once in a while after a long day. And they had made love. Xena had been very slow and gentle, very unlike her usual self, but not completely unheard of. Gabrielle had not thought the evening strange in any way. She had fallen asleep in Xena's arms as she used to, but now Xena had moved her bedroll to the other side of the fire. Something must be terribly wrong, but Gabrielle couldn't for her life think of what that might be. The tears started to make their way down the blonde's cheeks. Xena must be angry with her for some reason, but she didn't know why. And she couldn't really wake her up in the middle of the night to ask. That would just make her even angrier.  
  
But then the figure across the fire started to move. Gabrielle quickly dried her tears and half-closed her eyes, trying to see through her eyelashes. Xena sat up slowly and looked at Gabrielle. The sadness was plainly visible on her face, but so was the determined set to her jaw as well. Gabrielle didn't know what to make of it. Slowly, Xena got up to a standing position, before bending over and starting to roll up her bedroll. What?! Xena's leaving?? She can't do that…! With her bedroll now in a tight bundle, Xena made her way over to the saddlebags. She rummaged around quietly for a while, but eventually found what she was looking for. She brought one of the saddlebags back to the fire with her, and took out parchment and a quill. Gabrielle felt a knot in her stomach start to form. If Xena was writing, something was clearly wrong. Xena didn't touch parchments and quills if she could avoid it. She read the occasional scroll, but Gabrielle had hardly ever seen her actually write something. The knot in Gabrielle's stomach tightened even more as she saw Xena reach up and wipe her cheek. If the Warrior Princess was crying something must be terribly amiss. But Xena seemed to know what she was doing, as she quickly finished her writing, and put out the remains of the fire. Now Gabrielle could only see her beloved as a mere shadow, moving stealthily around their small camp. She didn't know what to do. Should she stop her? Or would that only serve to make her turn from Gabrielle even more? Gabrielle could hear the straps to the saddlebag being fastened on Argo and now her anguish got the better of her. Xena wasn't only leaving, she didn't even have the guts to tell Gabrielle face to face either.  
  
"Xena…?" she called out in a trembling voice. The dark shadow whipped around, looking like a deer caught in the torchlight. Xena walked over to where Gabrielle was now sitting up, wide-awake. "Xena, what are…" Xena leaning over and placing a kiss on her lips cut off Gabrielle. "Sshh, go back to sleep now." Xena's voice was trembling, ever so little. Xena leaned over once more and placed her scroll next to Gabrielle's bedroll. "I love you" she whispered before turning around and running over to where Argo was now standing, ready to leave. She flipped onto Argo's back, and within seconds both horse and rider had disappeared into the forest. The only thing that could be heard was the tortured scream "Xena! Wait!" that slowly grew more and more incoherent as heavy sobs took over the young woman's body.  
  
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Argo slowly made her way along the path on the mountainside. She knew this path by heart, and with dawn nearing she could have gone much faster, but since Xena didn't seem to be in a hurry, she might as well take it easy. Knowing Xena, you could use all the rest you got.  
  
In reality, Xena was too wrapped up in thoughts to care about the pace. She knew Gabrielle wouldn't try to follow her before the sun rose, and she was certain that she had never taken Gabrielle down this path before, so it would take her quite some time to find it. The path was actually very carefully hidden. Someone who didn't know it was there wouldn't be able to find it, shouldn't he happen to stumble over it by accident. But this suited Xena just fine. She needed some time to think before Gabrielle caught up with her. She didn't think her short letter would stop Gabrielle from searching after her missing warrior, but Xena felt she should at least leave some explanation to why she had left so abruptly.  
  
Now, having it over with, Xena actually felt quite relieved. She couldn't escape the sadness she felt over leaving Gabrielle, but she knew she had done the right thing. She loved Gabrielle, but this was something she needed to do. She had known this for quite some time now, but she had allowed her feelings for Gabrielle to hold her for just a little while longer. It wasn't until yesterday she had finally made up her mind. She had to leave; there was no way she could go on like this. She needed to leave, and she needed to leave now.  
  
During the dark woman's musings, the sun had slowly risen over the horizon, bathing everything in a soft glow. Birds were chirping and the nocturnal animals went to their lairs, leaving the earth in the care of the animals of the day. The warrior atop her horse could now make out her destination. She led the golden mare off the path and onto an even more hidden one. This wasn't even really a path; it was just a small canal where the undergrowth wasn't as heavy as the surrounding area.  
  
A few candlemarks later Xena and Argo finally reached their destination. The small cave was hidden just under the top of the mountain. Bushes were growing outside the opening, hiding it successfully from anyone who didn't know exactly what to look for. Xena dismounted and started to unstrap the saddlebag from Argo's sides. She had only taken the very necessities she knew she would need, but made sure Gabrielle would be able to carry what was left without problems. With their few possessions, it wasn't very difficult. Settling her things inside the cave she went back outside and freed Argo from her reins.  
  
"You go, girl" Xena whispered softly to her horse. "You know exactly where to find me, and you just come back when you feel like having some company. I'll always be glad to see you, but I know that you need to run free every once in a while. And hey, try to stay out of trouble, will ya?"  
  
With that, the horse snorted gently and rubbed her muzzle against the side of Xena's face before whinnying happily and taking off down the side of the mountain. Xena stood looking after her horse until she disappeared into the woods, and then turned and made her way down to the small stream that trippled down the mountainside just below her hiding. The day would be hot, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to start out nice and cool.  
  
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Gabrielle had spent the night alternating between crying inconsolably and ransacking her brain going over the last few days trying to find out what on earth had happened here this night. She couldn't even read the scroll Xena had left for her. It was obvious that was the reason Xena had put out the fire before she left. To make absolutely sure Gabrielle wouldn't be able to read her scroll before dawn, so she was able to get further away before Gabrielle could start following her. Gabrielle sat with the scroll open in her hands, staring at it, willing the rough scribbling to be visible in the darkness, but in vain. It wasn't until the first morning birds started singing their all too happy songs in a nearby tree that she was finally able to see the writing. At first she was surprised. Then she was devastated. But before long the devastation gave way to fury. She was absolutely furious. Who the hell did Xena think she was to be able justify such a behavior?  
  
"Dear Gabrielle, please forgive my sudden departure. I need some time to think. There are things I need to be able to do, that can only be done alone. This is the only time I'll have this chance. I'll come back, I don't know when, but I will. I love you.  
  
Xena"  
  
"Oh no, Xena!" Gabrielle yelled at no one in particular. The startled birds, however, decided it was probably a wise thing to go somewhere else to sing. "I'm not going to let you get away with this. Don't think you can just dump me like that and expect me to sit idly by and watch you do it. Nooo… no no no no…." Gabrielle stalked angrily around the small campsite, collecting the things Xena had left for her. Bundling it all into her bedroll, she tied it to her back. "Oh yes, Xena, I'm gonna hunt you down if it's the last thing I do… and you're gonna be really sorry you ever thought about messin' with this bard…". Gabrielle was able to follow Argo's tracks down the path leading from their camp pretty easily, all the time muttering to herself and kicking the occasional rock or poor tree that happened to get in her way. She followed the path for about a candlemark, before realizing that Argo's distinctive mark was no longer on it. She backtracked a little, but they seemed to have vanished. She could understand it perfectly well; Xena wanted to be a little more difficult to find, of course, so she had made her way straight through the woods. Oh well, that's the least she would have expected anyway. "But you see, Xena, just because you're covering your tracks does not mean I won't be able to find you… Oh, no… I'll find you all right, and then…" she let the threat hang open, smacking her fist into her palm a few times, while trying to look as menacing as possible. "You just wait…"  
  
Midday found the no longer boiling but still quite angry blonde woman sitting next to the path on a rock munching on some berries. In her haste to get up and get going this morning she hadn't cared about her morning meal, and she was paying for that now. The loud rumbling from her stomach and the fact that a group of trees in front of her suddenly had decided to engage in a rather uncoordinated tango had reminded her that maybe it would be a good idea to get something substantial into her system. Wouldn't do Xena or herself any good if she passed out from starvation. Hence the berries. Not that berries would suffice for long. Gabrielle was more than aware of how much she needed to eat to maintain a feeling not bordering on starvation. But she was sure she would be able to more than satisfy her ferocious appetite once she reached Amphipolis. They had been in the vicinity, but Xena hadn't wanted to visit right now. The original plan had been to spend a few days in peace and quiet all by themselves and then go into Amphipolis to visit Cyrene. But if Xena had decided to throw the plan straight to Tartarus, Gabrielle might as well go see Cyrene immediately. She enjoyed spending time with Xena's mother, and who knew, Cyrene might even be able to come up with a suggestion as to where her daughter had disappeared. Shaking off a strange feeling of disquiet Gabrielle rose and headed towards the village.  
  
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Midday found the missing part of the pair sitting atop another rock just a few candlemarks ride to the north of her angry companion. The dark woman had coincidentally also chosen berries for her midday meal. She, on the other hand, would be perfectly satisfied after eating them. She chuckled to herself as she thought of the extreme appetite Gabrielle had been blessed with. From her vantage point on top of the mountain she could just barely make out her lover's form next to the path. That is, if that word still applied to their relation. Xena had been able to see occasional part of Gabrielle's mad rush along her trail, and she knew her body language well enough to be certain that the young blonde was indeed very, very angry. But, to be honest, she had expected no less. To be on the receiving end of Gabrielle's wrath was nothing to look forward to. She may not inflict any physical damage, but she was very capable of inflicting damage, all right, bard as she was. But it was worth it. Xena was certain of it. Hopefully she could make Gabrielle understand that when she saw her the next time. It wouldn't be easy, and Xena could well understand that it would be difficult for Gabrielle to forgive her, but she had done the right thing, that she was certain of. She had things to finish, and they needed to be done now. The longer she waited, the larger was the possibility that it would all end in catastrophe. No, it needed to be taken care of, and that now. Xena only hoped that it wouldn't already be too late, she had delayed it as much as possible, because she was afraid of Gabrielle's reaction. Ha she thought to herself. And when you finally make up your mind you don't even have the guts to tell her, but instead take off in the middle of the night, leaving only an absurdly vague note telling her that you need to be away from her. And then you claim to love her. Yeah, right… Really wise tactic there, Oh Great Intelligent Warrior… The Great Intelligent Warrior, by her own words, watched as the small figure so far away got up and started walking. A short while later Xena saw her turn onto the path leading into Amphipolis. She wasn't very surprised, she had expected as much. Yeah, and she's gonna show your note to your mother… who's gonna be reaaally pleased after seeing how you treat her daughter-in-law…Fine mess you've gone and put yourself in …  
  
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By the time Gabrielle reached Amphipolis Apollo's golden chariot was already grazing the tops of the trees. It had taken her much longer than she had expected to reach the small village. And to top it all off, she was starving to death from eating only a few berries the whole day. There were people milling around all over the place, despite the fact that the market was closing for the day. Heads turned as she made her way towards Cyrene's inn, and at first she couldn't figure out why. Then she realized that Xena was quite well known in this place, and that they probably recognized her as well. And she was wearing the full warrior outfit. Maybe they thought something had happened to Xena, and Gabrielle was here to deliver the news to the Warrior's mother. Well, Gabrielle was happy that was not the case. To tell Cyrene she had lost another child was one of the worst things Gabrielle could ever think of doing, next after losing Xena. Gabrielle had grown very fond of the old woman during her past visits, and Cyrene loved her just like a second daughter.  
  
As the inn appeared in front of her she momentarily stopped on the doorstep for a few seconds... "And just what are you going to tell her...? Oh, by the way, Xena took off last night... No, I don't have a clue as to where she went... No, I don't know when she will come here... Uhmm... no. Great going bard! As if that won't worry her even more. But she did raise that infuriating woman..." Gabrielle continued arguing her own points. "And if she does have a clue to where my Warrior is, it's more than worth a try..." Thus, having won her argument, she pushed open the door to the inn, and took off in search of its owner.  
  
The inn was packed with people of all kinds. Realizing it was only two- quarter moons left before summer solstice, the small blond woman, trying to see anything at all in the crowded room, assumed that most of them were going home to families for the event.  
  
Finally, after managing to offend no small number of toes and their owners, Gabrielle reached the door to the kitchen, in hope of finding Cyrene there.  
  
The kitchen was a battlefield. People were running in all directions with full and empty plates or ingredients for the innumerable pots and pans containing food in various states of boiling or frying. It was extremely hot and humid and the air was heavy with fumes. Locating the mistress of the house by the main stove deep in her cooking, Gabrielle decided not to disturb her just yet. Cyrene would surely break off what she was doing in order to talk to Gabrielle, and this kitchen could need all the help it could get. Instead, Gabrielle grabbed a young woman hurrying past her, whom she vaguely remembered was a neighbor's daughter helping out every once in a while. Obviously the girl remembered Gabrielle as well, because her face lit up with a wide smile.  
  
"Gabrielle, how wonderful to see you!" she exclaimed. "Cyrene is going to be so happy to see you two again."  
  
"Uhmm… actually, I wouldn't want to disturb her right now. She seems really busy. Is there anything I can do to help?"  
  
"Look around! Help couldn't be more welcome. I suggest you help that poor stew over there," pointing to a violently boiling kettle, "which is soon going to become a late stew unless someone does something. I've got to get going. Talk to you later."  
  
"Sure," Gabrielle mumbled over her shoulder to the quickly disappearing back, and hurried over to the stew that really was on the verge of passing on to another place.  
  
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Hours later it finally started to calm down. Most of the guests retired to their rooms, leaving only the regulars. It was no longer the kitchen, but the bar that needed tending. The girls assigned to barmaid-duty for the evening took up their work after a short break while the other kitchen hands returned to their homes. Finally, Gabrielle thought it safe to approach Cyrene without risking disturbing her in her work. She found the older woman in the small private room behind the kitchen, reclining in a stuffed chair with her eyes closed. Gabrielle softly knocked on the open door. Cyrene quickly opened her eyes and focused on the small blonde standing in the doorway.  
  
"Gabrielle, hi! How wonderful to see you!" She got up from her chair and hugged the younger woman tightly to her. "I didn't expect you here, why do I get the pleasure?"  
  
"Well, actually…" Gabrielle couldn't disguise her worry, and Cyrene realized something was not right.  
  
"What's wrong, dear?" Cyrene led Gabrielle over to a chair to sit down. "Is it a long story? Should I get us something to drink?"  
  
"That'd be lovely, thank you." Gabrielle was happy to get a moment to sort her thoughts out before telling the mother of her absent lover just what had happened.  
  
It didn't take long for Cyrene to return with a pot of steaming hot tea.  
  
"Ahhhh…!" Gabrielle let out a long sigh of pleasure as she felt the burning liquid trailing a path inside her body. "This is great. Thank you so much."  
  
"You're more than welcome. Now, tell me what's bothering you. And where is that daughter of mine anyway?"  
  
"To answer the last of your questions, I actually don't know." Seeing the worried look in the older woman's eyes, she hastened to reassure her. "I'm certain she's all right, I just don't know where she is." Realizing that Gabrielle didn't seem to be worried about Xena's well-being relaxed Cyrene somewhat. If there was any chance that her daughter might be in trouble, Gabrielle certainly wouldn't be sitting here, calmly sipping tea. "But that's part of the reason I am here." Gabrielle continued. The anger that had kept her going all day started to slip away with the warm tea and the comforting feeling of being in the presence of someone who loved her and who would take care of her. She felt the sadness starting to resurface again, but feeling warm and secure she allowed it to happen. Parts of her felt as if she was telling on Xena by talking to Cyrene, but she honestly didn't know where else to turn. "Xena…" she started, but broke off, cleared her throat, and tried again. "Xena… left… last night. I don't know why, I don't know anything… she just left." That was all she could manage before breaking into tears. Immediately Cyrene was there, cradling her, whispering soothingly into her hair. Though Cyrene herself was worried, and somewhat angry, at her daughter's behavior, she figured that everything had its time. And right now Gabrielle needed her. She would have to deal with that daughter of hers later.  
  
Gabrielle managed to calm down before too much time had passed, and as she wiped her tears away Cyrene gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head and moved back to her own chair. "Come now, tell me what has happened." She urged softly, as to not upset the bard any further. Gabrielle gave the shortened version of what had happened the evening before, and during the night. She finished by taking out the note Xena had left for her. "I saw her write this last night and leave it by my bedroll, but it was too dark to read, so I had to wait until morning. You can read it if you like." Gabrielle reached over and handed to piece of parchment to Cyrene.  
  
As the older woman read, her face started to clear, a look of understanding settled over her features. Gabrielle saw it and waited anxiously for Cyrene to speak. "I think I might know what this is about, dear… Or rather, is not about. She used to do this every once in a while when she was younger. One morning she'd just be gone, with a note similar to this waiting by my bed. The first time it happened, I was worried to death of course, but she returned after a few days, and she was fine. She wouldn't tell me what she had done, of course. Just that it was something she needed to do. The first times it happened she'd never be away for more than half a moon, but when she grew older, before… " Cyrene stopped abruptly. Gabrielle reached over to clasp the other woman's hand between her own. "It's okay". Cyrene took a few deep breaths before continuing. "Anyway, the longest I think she ever was gone was close to five moons. By then, of course, she was very independent, so none of us were really surprised."  
  
Gabrielle looked down at her hands for a few long moments before speaking, her voice carefully controlled, Cyrene couldn't tell if it was anger, or worry or something else entirely. "Do you think she will be gone long this time?"  
  
Cyrene considered this for a while, but answered, "I honestly don't know, dear. Only Xena could tell you that." She was silent for a beat, and then added, "Lyceus used to know, you know. He was never surprised when she was gone, and it was the same when she came back. Although I think he knew when she would be back. He'd be excited for no reason, and then she'd usually come riding up in the evening. He probably knew much more than he was telling me." Cyrene was silent for another beat. "They shared a very special bond." Tears from a sorrow too deep to ever really lessen glistened in her eyes, but didn't fall. Gabrielle clasped the older woman's hands and they sat in comfortable silence for a long time.  
  
Cyrene finally stirred, and looked over at Gabrielle. "You look exhausted, and so am I for that matter…"  
  
"Oh Gods, I'm sorry to have kept you…"  
  
"That's perfectly fine, it was important, but I don't think we'll get further tonight. What do you say we go to sleep, and see what we can think of in the morning."  
  
"Now that you say so, I could sleep… yeah, I could definitely sleep. I'll go get my bedroll and head out…"  
  
"You'll do nothing of the kind! This does happen to be an inn…"  
  
"But all these people here tonight, it has to be full…"  
  
"Officially it is, yes… But I make it a point always to keep my smallest room free. It's really nothing but a very slightly oversized closet, so I couldn't let it out like an ordinary room, but sometimes people come through the village late at night, desperately in need of a place to stay, and there's usually nowhere for them to go, so I let them have my little closet. Normally I wouldn't put you in there, but it's got a decent bed, and of course you can use my quarters for everything else."  
  
Now, had it been Xena and Gabrielle visiting, Xena would never had accepted, since she actually preferred to sleep outside, and Gabrielle would have followed her, since she did like to sleep outside, and she had a personal pillow that meant she didn't have to actually sleep on the ground. But Xena wasn't here, and Gabrielle did like to sleep in a bed more than she did to sleep on the ground so it wasn't really that difficult a choice in the end. Would she rather take her pack, head out in the forest, find a good place in the dark, set up camp, and then go to sleep alone on the hard ground, than walk two doors down, freshen up a little in room tempered water, and be able to go to sleep in a nice soft bed, in clean linens that were already laid out? No.  
  
"Thank you so much. If you're sure it's no trouble I'd be happy to accept."  
  
"Great, it's the first door on your left, just outside the door to my quarters. It should be all ready for use, and you can find some water in the kitchen. You know where it is."  
  
"Yes, thank you."  
  
The two women bade each other good night, before heading in opposite directions. Gabrielle passed by the kitchen to get some water, but when she got back to her room she only splashed some on her hand and face, before shedding her clothes on the one piece of furniture in the room besides the bed, a small chair. She emptied her pack roll on the floor to find her night shift and slipped it over her head, and then headed straight for the bed. Too little sleep last night, and the overemotional day had left her completely worn out so she crawled into the tiny bed and curled up into a tight ball. Her last thoughts before sleep claimed her, accompanied by a few tears, were of a tall strong woman, gently holding her close as she slept.  
  
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"Xena! Xeeeenaaa!" Gabrielle screamed at the top of her lungs, but to no avail. No matter how much she wanted to reach Xena she was frozen to the floor. As in slow motion she saw Xena's eyes becoming unfocused, and then she slid to the stone floor, blood oozing from her many wounds. "Xena…."Gabrielle whimpered as Xena's eyes closed for the last time. "Nooooooo….!!!"  
  
"Noooo…"  
  
Gabrielle woke with a start, her heart pounding furiously in her chest, her night shift drenched in sweat, adrenaline and panic still surging through her body. "By the Gods…" she whimpered, hugging the cover close to her body. It had just been too intense… She could still feel the remains of the unbearable pain she had felt as she had watched Xena fall to the ground and draw her last breath. Gabrielle drew a couple of long, calming breaths, but it didn't seem to help much.  
  
She was still curled up and wide-awake when the first light of the morning was hinted at outside. She had no idea how long it had been, but she finally managed to fall asleep when the first rays of sunlight hit her window and she could hear a bird chirping softly close by.  
  
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Xena opened her eyes as the first rays of sunlight rose over the mountain. She's taken refuge in the cave during the night, but it was facing east, so she still woke up at dawn. She frowned slightly as she momentarily missed the sight of Gabrielle's smile in the morning, but quickly put the thoughts out of her head. No point in dwelling over that now, and it was her own doing, anyway. Things needed to be done, she reminded herself, and today was the day to do them. She'd done a careful check of the mountain the day before, making sure the entrance was intact and still where she'd left it. She's also wanted to make sure no other entrances had appeared over the years, that could complicate things way too much. But she'd found nothing out of the ordinary, everything was as in order as it could be, and now all she needed to do was start the process and she would see where it took her. Hopefully she would come out ok on the other side, and before too long time had passed, so she could seek out Gabrielle and explain the whole thing to her.  
  
Eating the half-burned remains of the two birds she'd had for dinner last night, Xena sat at the entrance to the cave and tried to empty her mind of thoughts. It was important that she was wholly focused on the task at hand, and that nothing else interfered with that. Finishing up her meager breakfast the warrior rose, and put her things in order. She realized she was stalling, but allowed herself that small luxury. Might as well leave a nice a clean campsite behind. It felt important, for some reason. Finally, there was nothing left to do, and she draw a deep breath of fresh air, knowing it would be the last for a probably long time. Despite her own reluctance to ask anything at all from the gods she sent a quick prayer to Artemis, asking her to take care of Gabrielle, should she herself not return. Then she turned around and headed into the cave. Darkness enveloped her, but she knew the way by heart. She made her way to the very back where a solid wall met her. Removing the small amulet from its place, intrically entwined with her armor, she pressed it against a lighter spot on the wall. Then she waited. And slowly, slowly, light started to filter into the room, seemingly from out of nowhere. And then a segment of the wall started to shimmer, to then disappear completely and give way to a dark void. The light that was everywhere else in the room could not reach into this hole. All was in order. Xena put the amulet back in its place, before stepping into the lightless void. The light that had been everywhere just a moment before vanished without a trace, it was as quiet as ever, and the air had a stillness to it that indicated it had been many lifetimes since the last time it was disturbed.  
  
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Gabrielle was awoken much later that morning, almost midday, by a soft shake to her shoulder. "Gabrielle…? Time to wake up."  
  
"What…?"Gabrielle mumbled sleepily. "No, Xena… Go 'way…"  
  
"Gabrielle!" This time the pressure on her shoulder was firmer, and Gabrielle pried her eyes open to peer up into Cyrene's face, hovering over hers.  
  
"Oh… Good morning, Cyrene"  
  
At this the older woman chuckled slowly. "Well… I wouldn't exactly call I morning… I guessed you could use your sleep, so I didn't want to wake you, but in the end I figured that you'd probably be more irritated if you missed another meal than if I woke you up."  
  
"Meal?!" Gabrielle looked positively enthusiastic "You mean as in food! I'm up! I'm awake!" In her eagerness to prove this she only managed to tangle herself in her sheet and fell with a hard thud at Cyrene's feet as she tried to get up.  
  
"Slow down, child, slow down! There's more than enough left for you, I promise."  
  
At this Gabrielle only raised a dubious eyebrow in an almost-perfect imitation of Xena. Cyrene only smiled and walked towards the door  
  
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X  
  
Lunch at the inn was a quiet affair. Gabrielle, though physically rested, was still emotionally worn out. Cyrene had her customers to think about, so she couldn't keep her more company than the occasional pat on the head or a warm hand on the shoulder. But Gabrielle didn't really mind. Her energy was focused on keeping it cool, trying to figure out what to do next. She's come to the conclusion that finding her missing lover would probably be a tad more difficult than she's originally expected. Especially, after listening to Cyrene last night, it seemed as if this wasn't something new, it was something that had been going on for a long time. Knowing Xena, and Gabrielle took pride in considering herself to do just that, it meant something big was going on. Xena did not disappear without a trace like that without a reason. She might disappear just to spite people, but than she wouldn't leave a note. No, there was something big going on, the difficult part would be to grasp what it was, and figure out what her own role in it should be. Besides chewing Xena out for not telling her, of course…  
  
The young blonde at her table in the corner was so deep into her thought she didn't notice at first that an old man had sat down in the chair opposite her. Startled Gabrielle looked up as the strange cleared his throat. The man was disheveled, his clothes almost nothing but rags, and his hair and beard hadn't seen a trimming in a very long time, but he smelled clean and fresh. When he saw he had Gabrielle's attention he said in a low whisper:  
  
"Ain't you used to travel with that warrior person… that… Xena…?"  
  
"Who's asking?" Gabrielle sat up straighter in her chair, and regarded the old man wearily.  
  
"That doesn't matter… let's just say I'm an old man. We old people, we know things… we hear things occasionally… people think we ain't good for nothin', but some of us still have brains left, I'll have ya know…"  
  
"Is this going somewhere?"  
  
"You youngsters… always so impatient… I have something to tell ya'll, young lady. You should listen carefully…"  
  
"Yes, yes, what is your point?"  
  
"Tsk, tsk." The old man shook his head sadly from side to side. Then he sighed and considered the restless soul in front of him. Finally he seemed to have made up his mind, and leaned forward.  
  
"You are that little bard-thingie…? Travelling with that warrior…?"  
  
"Yes, that's me. What is it you want to tell me?"  
  
"Now, this is what I heard… Ah ain't seen it with me own eyes, but I figgered you should now, if she's yer friend, and all…"  
  
"Yes…"  
  
"Well, I hear she's in trouble… I hear she's got some big thing going on… I hear it's mighty dangerous… I hear that story with the kid is finally going to get an end…"  
  
"What kid? What are you talking about?" Gabrielle, now intrigued, but confused.  
  
"Well, the way we old people hear it… there's some kid somewhere… This kid's powerful… well, not in itself, but there's powerful forces protecting it… And the way we hear it… this warrior friend of yours, she's connected to this whole thing, somehow… And it's gonna happen now… we've all seen the signs…"  
  
"Wait. What signs?"  
  
"Signs… trust me, I know what I'm talking about… we've all seen them… It's coming to an end, what end, we don't know… but there's great forces at work here, and if that friend a'yers is involved, we just figgered you might wanna hear about it…"  
  
"Why's that? Why do you care about me? Who are 'we'?"  
  
"I gotta go… an old man like meself can't talk too long… we tire easily… think about what I said…"  
  
With that, the old man slipped from his chair, and with a pace not of his age, quickly disappeared out through the door.  
  
Gabrielle, getting over her initial surprise at his sudden departure, rose and hurried after him out the door. He was gone. She ran around the closest blocks, but there was no sign of him, and no one had seen an old man leave the inn. Troubled she returned to her seat. Cyrene looked up as she came back, but was momentarily held up by costumers, giving Gabrielle a few moments to collect her thought before the older woman came over.  
  
"What's with the mad dash out the door?"  
  
"That man I was talking to, he just disappeared… I wanted to ask him a few things, but he vanished."  
  
"What man? You were talking to someone just now?"  
  
"Yes, didn't you see him? Old man, disheveled, but still clean. Does he come here often?"  
  
"I'm afraid I don't know who you are talking about… I didn't see anybody. I just saw you suddenly rushing out the door."  
  
"A man came up to me, asking if I knew Xena. Said he had things to tell me. Mumbled some strange stuff, but he took off before I had a chance to ask me what he meant."  
  
"Really? I've been keeping an eye on you, but I'm quite sure I didn't see anybody talking to you. You'd think I'd have noticed, there weren't really that many people here right now."  
  
Gabrielle cocked her head, but before she could say anything the last group of costumers signaled for Cyrene.  
  
"I'll have to take care of them. Why don't you finish your meal, and then we'll see what we can make of your mysterious visitor."  
  
Thoughtfully Gabrielle finished her meal. A strange feeling in her gut told her something very odd had just occurred. If she could only figure out what…  
  
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X  
  
Slowly, Xena made her way into the heart of the mountain. The path was steep and narrow, the ceiling very low. Xena often had to get down on her hands and knees, or turn her body sideways in order to move forward in the tiny passage. The moments she could walk upright straight forward were very few and far in between. Keeping her hand on the wall to the side of her let her know how far she had walked, and by doing so she also knew where she was and when to move down or to the side in order to avoid hurting herself on the sharp edges of the rock. The first time she and Lyceus walked this path they had carved the marks into the stone. Different symbols for different dangers, and also markings for how far they'd gone. The reason was simple. They'd soon realized their torch wouldn't make it much further, and they wanted to be able to find their way back without killing themselves. After that first time they'd even made it a game to see who could pass through quickest with as few bruises as possible. In the dark of course. That was before Xena had realized what the cave held. They'd never believed the old myth, and it wasn't until much later, years after Lyceus death, that she'd finally been able to return to their old secret hideaway and see it with new eyes. Her original surprise at what she'd just thought was an old cave had passed within a short matter of time, and she's discovered that something desperately needed to be done. It was important the she didn't act too soon, though. The time had to be absolutely right, or everything could be destroyed. And now she was afraid she had waited too long. She'd felt the pull some time ago, but had ignored it. She was too content with her life, traveling with Gabrielle, to turn her life upside down like this. But finally she hadn't been able to ignore it anymore. She had to leave, or she would go crazy, feeling the strong pull of the force tearing her up inside. So she had gone, into the unknown, into the dark, away from everything she knew and loved, and there was no telling she'd be able to return.  
  
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X  
  
It wasn't until much later that afternoon that Cyrene and Gabrielle got a chance to sit down and talk. People kept dropping in, wanting to talk about this or that, to get a cup of port and some company, and of course the landlady was always wanted somewhere. Finally, just before people started to come in for an evening meal, Gabrielle and Cyrene got a moment to themselves. Gabrielle repeated everything she could remember from her conversation with the old man. When she finished Cyrene sat quietly for a long time.  
  
"You know," she finally said. "That story reminds me of something. You've heard of that story when Aphrodite once gave birth to a son of Zeus but that something was amiss and the child was born a mortal?"  
  
"Yes," Gabrielle nodded thoughtfully. "No one ever knew what came of the child, but legend has it that Hera in her jealousy locked the child up in a cave somewhere to grow old and die alone so no one would ever know. But Aphrodite, though she wasn't able to get the child out of Hera's cursed cave herself, she instead gave it a blessing. It would never grow old until someone freed it from the cave."  
  
"That's right, but no one ever heard of the child again, so people just assumed it was Zeus who wanted to brag about actually having slept with the Goddess of Love. Anyway, that's what people in most of the Known World have believed at least. But here, it's slightly different. It's always been another legend going around in a few villages here as well. See that mountain over there?" Cyrene pointed to a mountain that could be seen as a black silhouette against the burning sky in the west where the sun was setting. "It is impossible to reach the top of that mountain, because no one who has tried has ever come back to tell about it. But occasionally it happened that some young daredevil decides he wants a shot at it. According to the legend there's a cave right under the top and any person to enter the cave will either be destroyed for eternity, not killed, mind you, or blessed with something of which worth humans cannot conceive. People generally believe it to be ambrosia… but that's not the point, the point is that when the old people talk about it, the say that anyone who enters will either receive the punishment of Hera, or the blessing of Aphrodite.  
  
"You mean…?" Gabrielle let the question hang and leaned forward slightly.  
  
"Yes, it's always been generally believe around here that that's the cave where Hera imprisoned the son of Zeus and Aphrodite."  
  
"Well," Gabrielle looked out the window towards the mountain now veiled in a few wispy red tinged clouds. "It is a place to start, at least. I can't imagine how Xena could have anything to do with it, but right now any idea is better than none at all."  
  
"Yeah," Cyrene sighed. "I know it's a long shot, but it's what comes to my mind when you say that man talked about a child surrounded by great powers."  
  
"As I said, it's a place to start. I think I'll head over to that mountain tomorrow, see what I can find."  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, people have disappeared up there before."  
  
"I'll be careful. I think I'll just scout around to see if I can find any trace of Xena. If she went through there, I, if anyone, should be able to notice." With that, Gabrielle rose. "Come on, I'll give you a hand in the kitchen, and then I'll head to bed. I plan on leaving when the sun comes up tomorrow."  
  
Cyrene just nodded, and followed the determined woman with the slight posture into the kitchen.  
  
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X  
  
The beast appeared out of nowhere… suddenly it was just there… Gabrielle could see it advancing on Xena and screamed out in horror… "Xeeeena !!!!!!! Xena !!!" But Xena didn't hear… her eyes were focused on the babe she held in her arms, and she seemed completely oblivious to her surroundings. The beast came closer and closer. It was a hideous monster, glowing red eyes, large fangs gleaming white in the dim light and huge claws stretched in front… the tail with nasty looking spears whipped back and fort, and Gabrielle could swear she saw smoke coming out of it's nostrils… and then it pounced… Xena crumbled to the floor under its weight. Gabrielle could hear a crack and saw Xena's head at an odd angle to her body under one of the beast's paws. She wasn't moving… "Noooooooo…..!!!! Xena! Nooooo…"  
  
"Nooo….." For the second night in a row, Gabrielle awoke from a nightmare. This one was eerily similar to the one she'd had last night. Gabrielle felt her heart racing; her breath was coming in short gasps. The pain of the loss was so physical it made her want to throw up. She curled into a tight ball, staring at the sparse light coming in through the window trying to prevent the images from appearing, but they were imprinted in her brain so vividly that it didn't really matter if her eyes were open or shut. Making an effort, she evened her breath out, and thinking more rationally she realized that judging from the color of the sky, if was only a candle mark or so before dawn. No reason trying to go back to sleep, she might as well get up and get moving, so she would be ready to leave at dawn.  
  
Upon entering the kitchen, Gabrielle found that Cyrene was already up and working.  
  
"Good Morning, Gabrielle! It's not often I see you up at this hour."  
  
"Well…" Gabrielle didn't really know what to say.  
  
"Are you well, child? You look a little pale?"  
  
"I had a nightmare. I had the same one last night. Xena…" her voice caught a little. "Xena dies in the end." She drew a shaky breath.  
  
"Ah, nightmares can be pure hell. The gods know I've had my fair share back in Xena's warlord days."  
  
"The worst thing is the pain… She dies in front of my eyes, and there's nothing I can do… it's so real. I'm in this cave somewhere, and there's a beast, and it…" she stopped, wanting to erase the last part from her mind.  
  
"I know. It will feel better when you find her. Here," Cyrene reached across the table for a package wrapped in a piece of leather. "I prepared some food for you. I know that you can find your own out there, but this will make it a little easier."  
  
"Thank you." Gabrielle accepted the parcel without argument. She knew how much time she would save not having to hunt for her dinner, and it would be nice with some dried meat instead of the usual rabbit or pheasant stew. "I appreciate it."  
  
"Here's breakfast for you as well." Cyrene handed her a plate with bread and cheese, along with some leftovers from last night's dinner. "You eat up, and then be on your way."  
  
Gabrielle hungrily eyed the plate and shot a beaming smile at Cyrene, her nightmare temporarily forgotten as started to eat. Quickly stowing it all away, while Cyrene continued her work, she retreated to her room to gather her things.  
  
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X  
  
Xena blinked a few times, letting her mind adjust to the fact that she was surrounded by complete darkness. It was strange, waking up like this. Her body knew it was morning, yet her mind tried to contradict it since the impenetrable blackness around her sent a signal just as clear saying it was still the middle of the night. She stretched a little, the movements being cut short as both hands and feet immediately connected with rough stone. Turning over on her side, she felt around for her armor, and the small amount of food she had packed the morning before. She ate quickly, she hadn't brought much, and then drank some water from where a tiny stream came out of the wall, ran across the floor, and the disappeared on the other side. She bundled up the fur she had been sleeping on and placed it back in the alcove. It was one of the first things she and Lyceus had brought in here. When they realized how far it was into the middle of the mountain they'd looked around for a place to stop and sleep. The tiny alcove was perfect. Located approximately four feet above the ground, and just big enough for two people to sleep in it became very cozy when they'd stopped there together. They would crawl in there together, light a candle and enjoy the feeling of being surrounded so completely by darkness and solid stone. But these day were past now, and if everything went as she hoped, this would be the very last time she ever traveled this particular path. She didn't really know how she felt about that, so she simply ignored it, and put her mind towards the coming task. She hoped she would reach the main cave by nightfall. Not that it mattered in here, but her body knew these things. And that's when she noticed it. It was gone. The pull she had felt tearing her insides for weeks now was somehow strangely absent. Was it because she was so close now? Or could she be too late, had she waited too long? She was surprised she hadn't noticed it before, the emptiness suddenly filling her to the point where she started to feel unsettled. She understood she had to hurry, though. It was of greatest importance that this matter be resolved as soon as possible. It was time.  
  
To be continued… 


End file.
